Disk formatting is a process to prepare a storage medium, such as a hard drive for reading and writing that includes creating an empty system. Whenever you format a storage device, the operating system erases all the written data from the hard drive, checks all sectors of the disk, marks bad sectors and makes sure all new sectors are reliable and efficient to store information. It creates a new internal address table that is used to store new data in the hard drive and makes the drive appear to be empty.

When we purchase a new hard drive, it is already formatted at a low-level, so you do not have to format it again until and unless you are not supposed to change its interleave factors. Usually, a general user performs a low-level format to erase the data stored on the drive and prepares the hard drive for use. Another reason for formatting is to create new space in the logical volume or to remove any virus if present in the disk. Formatting hard drive could be the last option for a user in order to repair it. However, without complete backup, this certainly leads to data loss.

There may be several possible conditions when a user accidentally formats his hard drive and thinks that he has lost the complete data. However, formatting does not erase the data completely; it just removes the data address table and makes that space available for new data. In the hard drive, there could be numerous ways of hard disk crash or data loss.

Reasons That Reduce the Chances of Formatted Data Recovery

Formatting your hard drive by complete format option instead of quick format, removes all data stored in the tables completely. After complete format, it is very difficult to recover data form formatted drive.

After formatting, data is only removed from the table; however, it is stored on the hard drive. If you use the formatted hard drive for new data storage or installation of a new operating system in it, then the chances of recovery of data reduces. It becomes difficult to retrieve that data, even by using specialized data recovery software. You can retrieve only that data from the hard drive, which is not overwritten.

After performing zero level or low level formatting, you cannot recover data by any manual process. In such case, sometimes, after successful recovery process, user only is able to recover the file name instead of the whole data.

These manual recovery processes are quite tricky; any small mistake will not let you recover your data successfully. Therefore, it is better to use professional software for formatted data recovery. These tools are especially developed with efficient algorithms that help you recover data from formatted hard disk in an accurate way. You will find a variety of such data recovery software in the market, you can choose according to your requirement. It is recommended that always go for trusted software.